Chapter 335\u00a0<\/p>\n
Riley\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
By the time I returned to the Ebonclaw Pack manor, the night had fallen completely. The courtyard was quiet under the cloak of darkness, the scent of roasted meat and pine smoke drifting faintly through the\u00a0<\/p>\n
wind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mia was already standing outside the front gate, her wrinkled hands anxiously wringing the hem of her apron. The moment she saw me limping toward her, her tense shoulders sagged in relief and she rushed forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMiss Riley! Thank the Moon Goddess, you\u2019re finally back.\u201d Her voice trembled with a mix of concern and affection.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before I could answer, her gaze swept over me, catching the gauze on my forehead, the blood crusted around the edges, and the bruises creeping up my arms. Her eyes filled with pain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to you?\u201d she asked, reaching out carefully.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d I said quietly, shaking my head. My throat was dry, and even that small lie tasted bitter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mia wasn\u2019t convinced. \u201cAre you really? You look like-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI said I\u2019m fine.\u201d I cut in gently but firmly, trying to push down the heat rising behind my eyes. I needed to be strong. Not for me-for Carmen. \u201cHow\u2019s Carmen? Did anything happen while I was gone?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her expression shifted, softening with a smile. \u201cShe\u2019s okay now. Thanks to Master Kael, the school\u2019s decided not to expel her after all.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I froze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So that\u2019s how he wanted to play it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mia sighed in deep gratitude, completely unaware of the poison underneath it all. \u201cYou know, Miss Riley, Master Kael isn\u2019t a bad person. He helped a lot behind the scenes. If the two of you could just talk things through\u2026 he really would make a good brother.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t respond. I just stared at her, lips curling into a faint, bitter smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A good brother?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kael Vale had always been two-faced. Charming in public, ruthless in private. And somehow, he made even those he hurt feel like they owed him something.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He used Carmen to get to me. This time it was her-next time it could be Mia. That\u2019s who he was.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And still, I couldn\u2019t walk away. Not without leaving the people I cared about behind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I forced a smile. \u201cI\u2019m glad she\u2019s okay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then I walked toward the manor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 335\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Inside, the grand dining hall was lit with golden warmth. I could hear laughter before I even stepped in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kael, Scarlett, Alpha Alaric, and Luna Zara were all seated around the table, eating and chatting like the perfect Pack family.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A roast boar, honey-glazed root vegetables, and fine wine sat on polished plates. The air was full of warmth, clinking glassware, and carefully crafted lies.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And the moment I entered, the mood shifted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kael\u2019s eyes snapped to me, the smile on his face vanishing like smoke. \u201cOh. So you remembered where the Pack lives.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His words dripped with sarcasm, no concern in sight. Just contempt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Luna Zara frowned slightly and gave him a warning glance. \u201cKael, don\u2019t speak to your sister like that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then she turned to me with a forced warmth. \u201cRiley, don\u2019t mind him. Come, eat with us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I shook my head. \u201cNo need. You go ahead.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She persisted, still trying to wear her mask. \u201cSkipping dinner isn\u2019t good for your health. Just have a little.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I glanced at the table-empty platters, stripped bones, half-drunk glasses.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not in the mood for leftovers,\u201d I said flatly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her smile froze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tension immediately thickened the room. Alpha Alaric\u2019s face darkened as his gaze cut across the table toward me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett, ever the little angel, set down her utensils with practiced gentleness. \u201cRiley, we waited a long time. When you didn\u2019t come, we thought you\u2019d already eaten. We just started a moment ago, really.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d Luna Zara jumped in, nodding. \u201cEverything here is your favorite.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was a lie. I could smell the seafood from across the room.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took a slow breath, letting the fury simmer just below the surface.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cReally? Then tell me something. Out of six dishes and a soup, three of them are things I\u2019m allergic to: crab, shrimp, and pineapple. I thought you all\u00a0<\/p>\n
said it wa\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zara\u2019s expression faltered. Her eyes darted away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t stop.\u00a0<\/p>\n
all my\u00a0<\/p>\n
my favorites?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou never even asked me what I liked. You never remembered. You just said whatever sounded nice.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kael slammed his chopsticks onto the table. The noise cracked through the air like thunder. \u201cThat\u2019s enough, Riley. Mom and Dad were worried about you. Scarlett too. Don\u2019t come back here acting like the whole world owes you something.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 335\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked at the faces around me. All so perfectly composed, so hollow.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They wanted peace? They wanted quiet?\u00a0<\/p>\n
They should\u2019ve left me the hell alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I smiled, slowly. Coldly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said everything was just prepared, right? Then tell me-why are all the plates empty? Want me to lick\u00a0<\/p>\n
them clean?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett\u2019s expression twitched.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned to Zara. \u201cOr maybe you can remind me-what exactly are my favorite foods?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I chuckled darkly. \u201cDon\u2019t worry. I\u2019ll remind you. I don\u2019t have favorite foods, Luna Zara. I was raised not to be picky. Anything that didn\u2019t make me sick was good enough.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took a step closer to the table, eyes locked on Kael now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I do avoid what I\u2019m allergic to. You knew that. You all knew that. And you still served it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My voice dropped to a near-growl. \u201cIs that what you call kindness?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kael\u2019s face darkened, the fury in his eyes barely restrained.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alaric rose slowly from his seat, the weight of the Alpha thick in the air. \u201cYou ungrateful brat. We gave you a roof, food, a second chance-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI never asked for any of it,\u201d I cut in. \u201cDid I beg you to bring me back? Did I ask to be paraded as your long- lost daughter, just to be treated like dirt in my own home?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His voice boomed. \u201cWe gave you life!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared him down, rage searing through every nerve.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen maybe you shouldn\u2019t have.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Silence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u5408\u00a0<\/p>\n
Midnight Letters by Daniel Crowe 335 Chapter 335\u00a0 Riley\u2019s POV\u00a0 Finished\u00a0 By the time I returned to the Ebonclaw Pack […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pack-princess"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20608"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20608\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}